Their First Christmas
by FonzFan82
Summary: There is a snowstorm in Milwaukee. Chachi and Joanie celebrate the Christmas holiday alone since none of their friends could make any trips to come out. Chachi was able to drive in the heavy storm with luck to get home to Joanie. What would they give each other for Christmas? Story written for CNJ.


Chachi Arcola, now a private investigator, was sitting at his desk one Wednesday morning. He glanced out the window that was behind his desk chair. It was the end of November and it already started snowing. He couldn't wait for Christmas this year. He wanted to do something with his friends and for them. He'd have more time to think it over.

He hadn't heard someone knocking on his office door. The person kept knocking. They decided he wouldn't answer, so they left without entering. Chachi still didn't budge from the now faded wooden brown desk. His computer screen was humming and the printer flashed its red button, trying to tell him he was running out of paper. Still no response from himself.

The snow now grew heavier. It wasn't almost a foot and it did get heavier. He thought he'd try phoning his older cousin, Arthur Fonzarelli and see if the Fonz would be able to pick him up. He called Fonzie's place, figuring Fonzie wasn't at the garage at this hour.

Fonzie had been popular and well – known out here in Milwaukee. Back in his day he dated more than one girl at once. Today, the Fonz was now married to a doctor and had a son and daughter. Fonz is now semi – retired and now stayed home most of the time as a stay – at – home dad to his eighth grade daughter.

Chachi heard the phone at Fonz's place ring a few times. There was no answer but a dial tone. Fonzie was never much into computers when they started coming to the world. Girls were more important to him than electronics, but like most people the Fonz had an e – mail address, but was hardly on the machine itself to check his e – mail.

Chachi wasn't sure what his cousin was doing since he didn't answer the phone. School was out for the day. Chachi's guess was that the schools had shut down because of the snowstorm. He thought by now Fonzie's daughter would be home. Chachi still hadn't thought about what this 'special thing' would be yet but he'd sleep on it to get ideas.

The wall clock chimed four – fifteen. The clock in his office usually chimed every fifteen minutes. The chiming made Chachi jump up from his leather swivel chair. He hadn't noticed how much time had flown by. He'd been daydreaming for almost three hours. When looking at the wall grandfather clock, Chachi saw that on its chime it told him startled.

Chachi thought he'd play safe by staying here during the storm. At the moment he could tell the roads were treacherous to drive to and fro certain places. His girlfriend, Joanie Cunningham, probably would be at their place, walking back and forth, worrying about his safe return. Trying not to make Joanie worry too much, he picked up the white and red telephone and called home. She was home.

He sighed, hearing it was a good thing to hear her voice since he left home that morning. When she answered, he could tell by the tone of her voice, she sounded worried sick. He told her he was safe, but was still at the office. She let out a happy sigh of relief, and told him she'd been worried because of the now heavy snowstorm. He mentioned to her it looked like he would be housed in for time being and she told him to be safe.

After hanging up with Joanie a minute later, Chachi told himself to try calling the Fonz again. So he did. The phone rang about three or four more times without getting an answer from Fonzie, so he gave up hope and put down the telephone once more. Before putting the telephone hook back in the cradle, he called Joanie once more and told her about the Fonz.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Chach. He usually does answer, but I don't know how to answer that," Joanie told him.

"I don't either, but that's why I'm calling to ask you to try calling Fonzie and see what the problem was by not answering any of my calls," he said.

"All right. I'll give it a shot."

Hanging up again, Chachi hoped she would have more luck with Fonzie than himself did. He'd wished her luck and asked him to call back once she got an answer from Fonzie. Joanie called back several minutes later, telling Chachi she was able to get through the Fonz.

"Thank goodness. Did he say why he didn't answer my calls?" Chachi asked.

"He said Dee Dee got sick with a cold and flu at the same time, so he was upstairs helping her since she was weak and couldn't do this on her own. I told him you were calling asking for a ride," Joanie told him.

"That's why I called since I didn't want to have my car break down in this type of storm," he told her.

"I don't blame you."

"What have you been doing at the office?"

"Nothing really. I don't have any work to do, so I thought I deserve some peace for a change."

"Good idea. You do need some time to yourself."

Christmas that year arrived fast. Chachi was stuck at his office for a couple of days since the storm grew deeper. Chachi still had no idea what to do for Christmas with and for all of his friends.

He ended up spending the holiday with Joanie. They spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at their place alone. Joanie didn't celebrate the holidays with her parents and her older brother, Richie and his wife, Lori Beth and their two children. Marion, her mother, flew to California to spend Christmas that year. Marion didn't seem to mind her flying to California without Joanie. Howard, Joanie's father, wouldn't be around to celebrate Christmas with them since he died over the past year or so.

Joanie and Chachi couldn't find anything special for the holiday. They spent cooking the tradition of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables and pumpkin pie for dessert. Gifts that year were small. Neither of them really didn't want anything, so the best thing to do was small things. The old saying 'Good gifts come in small packages.' Chachi's small gift to Joanie was a box of chocolates from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Her gift to him was a new pair of socks, which was something he really did need.

"Sorry this wasn't much of a gift, but I thought chocolate was the best gift."

"And it was. This sounded like a good way to have a Christmas."

"So do I.''


End file.
